Collection 9: Episodes 33 and 34
by LatiosFan
Summary: Finally, a new update in this storyline, after focusing on my other running fics, and a few oneshots. After the perilous events of the previous episode, it seems like today will be a walk in the park. And then again, maybe not...
1. Chapter 1

Episode 33: Going Out (part 1)

The first part of episode 33 in my Fan Fiction series about the Pokémon journey of Ash and Angie. Involves some MorpheusShipping (Ash and Angie liking each other) so if you don't like that idea, perhaps you might want to stop reading here. The rest, I hope you enjoy this fan-fiction.

A new day had dawned in the beautiful Kanto region. Our friends had slept well, and after breakfast, they had left the little town they had stayed a few days, to get by from all the adventures with that person that tried to capture Lucario. It was a little while ago since they passed the town's perimeter, and Ash was somewhat quiet. He was still thinking about his friend, the Lucario he first met when it was still a Riolu. Ash would have liked to spent some time together, but he also knew his friend had a task to fulfill for it's kingdom, which it had sworn to protect. Angie worried a little about Ash's silence, but she decided it would be best not to say something of it just now. And she was right, after lunch, Ash seemed a little more cheered up, and was able to enjoy the fine weather much more. Suddenly Pikachu stopped, and moved it's ears.

"What is it, little buddy?" Ash wondered.

"Ash, look!" Angie said.

Pikachu pointed with it's right paw in the direction of the bushes next to the path.

They heard some rustling of leaves in the bushes, and everyone looked attentively, wondering what the possible source of the sound might be. The rustling became louder, and everyone braced themselves. Then a bluish creature jumped out of the bushes, ran a few circles around our friends, and before anyone could see what it was, quickly disappeared into the bushes again.

"Okay... what was that?" Angie asked.

"A Pokémon... I think..." Ash answered, not fully sure of his answer,

"Well, whatever it was, it seems gone now," Angie commented

So our friends continued their journey, and soon they had almost forgotten about their mysterious encounter. The sun was beginning to set a little, and it wouldn't be long before Ash and Angie had to decide where to make camp.

"Ash?" Angie suddenly spoke.

"Yes Angie?" Ash replied.

"You like me, right?" she added.

"Well, yes... but you know that already," Ash said a little shyly.

"You like me a lot, right?" Angie kept asking.

"Yes I do," Ash replied, a little agitated, "but didn't I already say that a few seconds ago?"

"You did," Angie said, "but if you like me that much, like you said, how come you never take me out on a date?"

"A date?" Ash said, nearly choking, as he accidentally bit his tongue.

"Yeah, you know, like other couples do?" Angie added.

"Well, if you like that so much, I'll keep it in mind the next time we come across a town," Ash sighed, "although that may take a while if I remember the map well."

"Awwwww..." Angie said, sounding very disappointed.

"Look, if I could I would take you out right now," Ash said on a comforting tone, as he put his right arm around her shoulder, "but it's not like we will find a fancy restaurant just around that corn..."

Ash was unable to finish his words, because of what he saw. Past the bend in the road they saw a small building with a big sign on the front. "Hiker's Home – The Place to Be for Hungry Travelers!" it read on the sign.

"You were saying?" Angie remarked.

"I've never seen that here..." Ash said, still wondering how he could have missed this restaurant the first time he had been following the same route.

"Well, it's definitely here now," Angie replied, winking at Ash.

"I... eh..." Ash stuttered, before regaining his cool again. "Angie, would you like to have dinner there?"

"I thought you'd never ask," she smiled, before giving Ash a quick peck on the cheek, "well, let's go then!"

Ash started running towards the entrance, and Ash followed suit. When they came close to the building, some personnel stepped outside. Our friends could see a hostess, wearing large glasses, a waiter fully dressed in a tuxedo, and a smaller person, standing in between those two. This latter had dark glasses on, so Ash and Angie assumed it was the manager of the establishment.

"Welcome in our humble restaurant!" the hostess greeted our friends.

"Yes, welcome! How may can we be of assistance to you?" the waiter added.

"Well, we would like to have dinner here, if that is possible," Ash asked, a little dazzled by the heartily approach.

"Are you Pokémon Trainers?" the hostess asked.

"Well, yes!" Ash answered enthusiastically, while he flashed his trainer card.

"Splendid!" the hostess commented.

"I'm afraid I don't have a trainer card yet..." Angie said with a timid voice, "but I do have half a badge!" she quickly added, "my friend has the other half since we won it together."

"Well, that qualifies also, right boss?" the hostess said, as she looked at the smaller person with the dark glasses.

The boss nodded, and then pulled his two employees closer to him, after which they started whispering to each other. Then the three stopped their little conversation, and the hostess addressed our friends again.

"I have good news for you two," the hostess said, "normally we only give a little discount to trainers that eat here, but today we have a special offer, and all Pokémon trainers eat for free."

"Gee, that's very nice of you!" Ash cheered.

Angie looked a little less happy about this announcement, she had been hoping Ash would have to be a true gentleman and pay the bill, but well, she couldn't really complain. After all, Ash did ask her out before he knew the meals would be free anyway.

"This way please," the hostess said, while making an inviting gesture.

Ash took Angie's hand, and the two followed the hostess inside, Pikachu and Shinx following their respective trainers.

"Oh no!" the hostess suddenly remarked, "Pokémon are not allowed in this restaurant!"

"But..." Ash started, "since we are Pokémon trainers, we always have Pokémon with us."

"Regulations, I'm afraid. If the inspectors found out we had Pokémon inside the dining room, we will get a big fine, or they might even shut us down," the hostess replied. "But don't worry, we already have a solution for that," she continued, "there is a special room where your Pokémon can get a meal and play together."

"How would you like that, little buddy?" Ash asked, as he turned his head around to address Pikachu.

"Pi-pika!" the electric mouse Pokémon cheered.

Shinx seemed equally enthusiastic, so Angie told it to go with Pikachu.

"You can follow me," the waiter said to Pikachu and Shinx, after which he led them away to the back of the restaurant.

The hostess brought our friends to the dining room. Ash was about to sit down right away, when he heard Angie making a sound like she had to clear her throat. That reminded him that he had to help her sit down, like a gentleman would. After they had both sat down, the hostess brought them the menu, and left the two alone to decide on what to eat.

"Hey, don't you think this menu is a bit strange?" Ash remarked.

"It is a little short, I've got to admit," Angie replied.

"Hamburger and fries, hamburger and fries with extra ketchup, hamburger and extra fries, no extra ketchup," Ash summed up the list, "it's all the same!" he complained.

"I agree, but then again, it's free, so we shouldn't expect a full six course dinner, right?" Angie tried to make it sound more positive."

"True, but when you have a big "restaurant" sign on the front side, you would think they could make a little more than hamburger and fries," Ash sulked.

"Don't forget the extra ketchup," Angie said, smiling.

Ash looked her in the eyes a few seconds, before he realized she was mocking him a little.

"That is a plus indeed!" Ash laughed, "better remind the hostess to serve some of that to Pikachu. I don't think there is something else Pikachu likes better than ketchup."

"That more like the spirit," Angie said, smiling back at Ash, "besides, we came here to have some time together, right? So what if all we can eat is a hamburger with fries?"

For a moment the two stared at each other, then their hands slowly moved towards each other over the table, meeting in the middle, their fingers touching momentarily. Then Ash took Angie's hand, and they looked into each other's eyes for a little longer, not saying a word.

"What are you looking at, Jessie?" the waiter whispered to the hostess, that was hiding behind the bar. "And why do you have such a funny look in your eyes?"

"Isn't love beautiful?" Jessie whispered back. "Just look how cute these two are together," she added.

"Well, even though they are still twerps, I've got to say you're right," James answered, as he straightened the tie of his waiter's costume."

"And what are you two doing here!?" the boss suddenly said from behind Jessie and James. "And James, why do you have your arm around Jessie?" the boss added, with a look on his feline-like face, that revealed a mix of astonishment and disgust.

"Ssshhhht!" Jessie hissed at Meowth, "we don't want to ruin this romantic moment of the twerps."

"Can someone please get me a bucket!" Meowth complained, making a face palm gesture. "I don't know what makes me sick more. Watching those lovesick twerps, or you two driveling over them! We are Team Rocket, remember!? And we are here with a mission!"

"Hold your horses!" Jessie protested, "we haven't forgotten about our plan. Now you get back to the kitchen and prepare those hamburgers!"

"Oh, that is what I came here for in the first place," Meowth said, a little calmed down now. "I need James to help me with the microwave, the buttons on it are too small for my paws..."

"James, what are you waiting for!?" Jessie said, "go help Meowth!"

James sighed shortly, let go off Jessie, and followed Meowth to the kitchen. Jessie got up from behind the bar, and stepped towards Ash and Angie.

"And, have you two decided yet?" Jessie asked.

"Well, it was a tough choice," Ash said on a mocking tone, "but I'll have the hamburger and fries with extra ketchup. And how about you Angie?"

"Well... I'll have the hamburger and fries without the extra ketchup," she replied, also having trouble keeping in her laughter."

"An excellent choice," Jessie chimed.

"Pardon me, but is there a reason all things on the menu are hamburgers and fries?" Angie asked.

"Well, we have just opened our establishment here, and we are still looking for a better cook," Jessie explained, "the current one is, well to put it politely, not quite satisfactory, I'm afraid."

"I heard that!" a little nasal sounding voice shouted from behind the bar, where the kitchen was.

"By the way, have we met before?" Ash wondered, "there is something familiar about you, the waiter, and even a bit about your boss."

"That must be pure coincidence," Jessie countered Ash's question, sounding a bit nervous, "I am sure you must be mistaking us for some other villai... I mean, restaurant owners."

"Okay, that must be it then," Ash replied. "Oh, and could you give that extra ketchup I ordered to my Pikachu?" Ash asked, "my little buddy just loves ketchup."

"Certainly," Jessie answered, "are you two comfortable enough?"

"Well, yes!" both Ash and Angie answered at the same time.

"Okay, our guests are ready!" Jessie shouted in the direction of the kitchen.

"Alrighty!" the strange voice yelled back from the kitchen.

All of a sudden Ash felt something tie his legs to the struts of the chair! The same happened to his hands, thin metal bands came out of the armrests, and immobilized them, just like Angie's hands and legs.

"Hey, what is the meaning of this!?" Ash shouted, as he struggled to get free, but to no avail.

"Hahahahaha!" Jessie laughed, as she removed her disguise.

"Dinner is being served, that is what's happening," Meowth said, as he had jumped on the bar.

"Jessie added, "Listen... is that a hungry voice that I hear?"

"It came from the table, loud and clear," James improvised.

"Through the kitchen," Jessie continued.

"Past the bar," James added.

"In your ears!" Meowth said it's line.

"Making hamburgers at a breakneck pace," Jessie spoke.

"Dashing hope, putting fear in it's place," James said.

"A fry by any other name is just as sweet," Jessie spoke again.

"When everything's cooked, our work is complete," James continued.

"Jessie!" she introduced herself.

"James!" her companion did the same.

"And Meowth, now that's a name!" the catlike Pokémon managed to get a word in again.

"Putting do-gooders in their place..." Jessie continued.

"We're Team Rocket..." James spoke once more.

"...in your face!" the three villains now said together, followed by Wobbuffet closing the motto by saying it's name.

"Team Rocket!" Angie shouted.

"So that is why they seemed so familiar to me..." Ash remarked.

Meowth held his remote high up in the air, and pressed a button on it.

"Now it's time for the last course!" the catlike Pokémon said with a vicious smile on his face.

Suddenly the walls of the restaurant started moving! The reception hall was lifted up and put on top of the dining room. Both former rooms moved up higher, and two appendages appeared from the sides, like arms. The same happened on the bottom so the contraption also got legs. Ash and Angie were still strapped to their chairs, and watched in amazement how the restaurant around them disappeared, and the three Rockets jumped inside the thing it had turned into.

"This is the Eat-o-Matic 3000," Meowth said, "since we are always hungry when we are hunting for Pikachu, we decided to build a robot that has it all, dining room, reception, a playroom that functions as a prison for our catch, and a kitchen... hey! Where is the kitchen!?"

"Oh... it seems I forgot to reconnect that module..." James confessed.

"Well, don't just stand there, and fix it!" Meowth said on a bossy tone.

"Just leave it," Jessie interrupted Meowth, "every time we want too much, we always end up getting blasting off. We have Pikachu now, and even a Shinx as bonus, so we'll make do with that."

"Aaaa, but all those lovely hamburgers..." Meowth protested.

"And don't forget those crispy fries..." James sighed.

"My decision is final, now get this thing moving!" Jessie commanded.

The robot began to walk away, and Ash and Angie could just catch a glimpse of their Pokémon through the window on the former 'playroom' that was now attached to the back of the robot, like a backpack.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted, "I'm coming for you!"

"Shinx!" Angie cried, "hang on!"

As Team Rocket's robot was gradually walking further and further away, no one noticed something blue had been watching these events attentively...

(To be continued...)

My 70th fan-fiction chapter. I apologize for any typing errors, or grammatically not 100% correct sentences. Remember, I am not a native English speaker or writer. I tried to make this story as close to the Pokémon series as possible, so that the characters will react roughly the same in this fictional story as they do in the series. Comments are always welcome, you can use the review function on this FanFiction site for that.

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any trademarks of Pokémon. Any similarities to the works of others is purely accidental, and not meant as an infringement on anyone's achievements.


	2. Chapter 2

Episode 33: Going Out (part 2)

The concluding part of episode 33 in my Fan Fiction series about the Pokémon journey of Ash and Angie. Involves some MorpheusShipping (Ash and Angie liking each other) so if you don't like that idea, perhaps you might want to stop reading here. The rest, I hope you enjoy this fan-fiction.

* * *

Still strapped tightly to their chairs, all Ash and Angie could do was watch, as Team Rocket left with their Pokémon.

"Ash, did you hear that?" Angie suddenly asked.

"Ahh, that's probably your stomach," Ash answered, a little grumpy.

"No, it's not that, you silly, I heard something from over there!" Angie said, while looking at the bushes beside where the restaurant had been standing just a few moments ago.

Still thinking Angie was imagining things, Ash turned his head in the same direction. He looked a bit closer, and... saw that the bushes were indeed moving!

"There is something hiding in those bushes over there!" Ash remarked.

"Duh... that is what I was trying to tell you all along!" Angie replied, a little annoyed, "but what can it b...?"

She didn't get to finish her sentence though, as the bushes were suddenly pushed aside, and a bluish colored thing jumped out, then started rolling towards our friends, like a blue bowling ball!

"Isn't that the same thing we saw earlier?" Angie wondered.

"I think so, let's hope it is friendly!" Ash added.

"It is getting very close now..." Angie said, as she was getting a little worried.

Then, about a second before the bluish creature was about to hit our friends head on, it stopped rolling and finally revealed it's identity to them!

"Phanpy-phan!" the blue Pokémon cried enthusiastically.

"Oh look, it's a Phanpy!"Ash said, all relieved now.

"Then it must have been doing Rollout all the time we saw it," Angie explained.

"Are you here to help us?" Ash asked the friendly appearing Pokémon.

"Phanpy!" was the apparently positive answer.

"Great, can you get us loose?" Ash asked.

"Are you sure that is such a good idea?" Angie wondered.

"Phan-phan-phan-phan-phanpy!" the blue ground type Pokémon cried, while starting another Rollout attack.

"Don't worry, it will probably get some help," Ash said smiling, not noticing Phanpy was turning around and was approaching him from behind...

"You'd better brace yourself..." Angie said, as she closed her eyes.

"Why would I have to..." Ash replied, but before he could finish his sentence, Phanpy hit him from behind, throwing Ash away a few metres.

"Ash, are you okay!" Angie yelled with a worried tone of voice, as she saw her friend lying on the ground, face down.

"Eeeuhhh..." Ash groaned, as he slowly got up. "A few bruises here and there I guess, but apart from that, I'm fine."

"A good thing you landed on your head, that cushioned the blow for your more valuable organs," Angie mocked, after seeing Ash was mostly unharmed.

"If that's the way you think about it, maybe I should let Phanpy free you as well, instead of me untying you," Ash teased her back.

But as soon as Ash saw the scared look on Angie's face, he ran over to her, and freed her.

"Thanks, Ash," Angie said, while giving him a short hug.

"Auutsj," Ash suddenly cried, "you just hit a sore spot there..."

"Sorry..." Angie said, as she released her grip on him, "and now we have to get our Pokémon back."

"But how are we going to do that while Team Rocket has all our Pokémon?" Ash replied.

But it seemed like the answer to that question was already there. The Phanpy that had freed Ash was still rolling circles around out friends, but as soon as it heard Ash and Angie talking about getting their Pokémon back, it turned into the direction of the robot Team Rocket was operating. It was just a little speck in the distance, but still visible, and Phanpy started chasing them.

"Come on!" Ash yelled, "we've got to follow that Phanpy!"

"I'm with you!" Angie yelled back, as both started running.

Although Phanpy were not known to be very fast Pokémon at all, while doing Rollout, they could reach quite decent speed, as this one was clearly demonstrating. Ash and Angie had trouble keeping up, but at least they were closing in fast on the robot in which their Pokémon were being held captive.

"Well, it seems we finally have Pikachu, and even a little bonus with those Pokémon we stole from that twerp's girlfriend," Jessie said, with a triumphant look on her face.

"But what are we going to eat now that we have left the kitchen with all that food behind?" James asked. "We didn't even get to eat before we took off..." he added, as he rubbed his empty stomach.

"Stop whining!" Jessie snapped at James, "Meowth, can you remind James of our plan?"

"Alrighty!" the feline Pokémon replied, "it's quite simple. We give Pikachu to the boss, and throw in some of those other Pokémon we stole, I mean, caught as extra, and the boss will make us so rich, we can have dinner in a fancy restaurant every day."

"And breakfast and lunch too?" James asked, as his eyes grew bigger with anticipation.

"Sure, why not?" Meowth replied.

"We have Pikachu and we're gonna be rich!" the three cheered together a couple of times.

Then the trio suddenly heard a loud bang, and the whole robot was trembling!

"Wha...what was that!" Jessie and James shouted, as they instinctively held each other in fear.

"I'll have a look, you bunch of chickens!" Meowth said, while turning on the main video screen inside the cockpit.

But just as Meowth flicked the switch of the main screen, another impact was felt, rocking the robot even more than the first time. After a little static noise an image slowly formed on the monitor, and the three villains saw a blue blur buzzing around them.

"Meowth, can you freeze the image?" Jessie asked.

"No problem!" Meowth replied, as he hit some more switches.

"Is that... a Pokémon?" Jessie wondered, as she saw the image of their attacker appear on screen.

"Let me see..." James said, while going through his deck of cards with Pokémon images. "Ah, there it is! Phanpy, the long nose Pokémon. It is strong despite it's compact size. It can easily pick up and carry an adult human on it's back."

"Well, we don't have time to play!" Jessie shouted in the microphone that was connected to speakers on the outside of the robot. Ksssst! Go away!" she added.

"Can't you do something before that thing wrecks our Gourmet-bot 3000?" James asked with a look of anxiety written all over his face.

"I think I have just the thing we need..." Meowth replied, as he quickly pushed a few buttons.

On the arms of the robot appeared a big spoon, and a big fork. Meanwhile Ash and Angie had been able to catch up with Phanpy, and noticed how it was bashing Team Rocket's robot.

"Alright!" Ash shouted, "Phanpy has stopped them!"

"Way to go, Phanpy!" Angie added, panting as heavily as Ash did.

"One mashed Phanpy coming up!" Meowth shouted, as he pressed a big red button.

The arm with the big spoon scooped up the rolling Phanpy, and swung it far away, bashing into a tree a little away from the robot. While it was still recovering from this, the robot came running towards the dazed Pokémon, and swung the arm with the fork up high!

"Phanpy, watch out!" Ash and Angie yelled together.

The robot was very close now, and Meowth was already sending the arm with the fork down fast! But just before it could hit, Phanpy rolled over, and managed to escape through the opening between the robot's legs. Then it made a tight left turn, and hit the robot on it's right leg, causing the container that held all the captured Pokémon to fall down.

"Okay, that's it!" Jessie shouted, as she pushed Meowth aside, "let me control this thing!"

With a few button presses Jessie managed to scoop up Phanpy again, and she managed to get the fork in the other arm of the robot over the spoon that held the Pokémon, so it was trapped between the two large utensils.

"Oh..." Ash said, a little shocked.

"We've got to help Phanpy!" Angie shouted.

"But how are we... wait, I hear Pikachu!" Ash added.

"It's coming from that part that fell off the robot during Phanpy's last attack.

Our friends quickly ran over to the place where the container had landed and busted open the door of it. Pikachu jumped out and straight into Ash's open arms, and Angie gave her Shinx a big hug as well. Then our friends turned their attention towards Team Rocket again.

"So, and now it's time to pay for what you have done!" Angie yelled at the three villains.

"You can't do anything because if you hit us with an electric attack, you'll hurt that Phanpy as well," Jessie mocked our friends, as she put out her tongue.

"Grrrrr..." Ash grumbled, but then suddenly a smile formed on his face.

"What's so funny?" Jessie shouted through the speakers.

"You seem to have forgotten that Phanpy is ground type, and is unaffected by electricity," Ash shouted back.

"Huh? Is that true, James?" Jessie asked, as she was getting a little worried.

"Pikachu, do Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded, before Jessie could get her answer.

"Shinx, go help Pikachu with Thunder Fang!" Angie added.

The combined electric attacks made the robot shiver, before it blew up with a loud bang, sending the Rocket trio blasting off. Phanpy was dropped on the ground, though it managed to cushion the fall by starting a Rollout attack in mid air. Shinx was hurled away by the explosion, but Angie quickly ran forward and caught her Pokémon in her arms.

"So much for that plan..." Jessie sighed.

"Ah, here it is," James remarked, "seems like the twerp was right, Phanpy are not affected by electric attacks."

"Next time, look that up before we start bluffing, alright?" Meowth sighed.

"We're blasting off again!" all three yelled together, as they became a little speck in the distance.

"So much for Team Rocket!" Ash cheered, as he looked at Angie, who was also smiling.

"But what happened to Phanpy?" Angie wondered.

They looked around, and just barely managed to see a bluish blur disappear into the bushes and into the forest again.

"Thanks for your help!" Ash shouted, hoping Phanpy could still hear him.

"Yeah, thank you a lot!" Angie added, silently wishing the Pokémon would come back.

But all remained silent, and so our friends walked back to the place where the restaurant had been, to pick up some of their things, they left behind when they had to chase Team Rocket.

"Well, so much for our first real date..." Angie sighed, as she looked at the overturned tables and chairs.

"We could still have dinner together..." Ash remarked.

"But... the whole restaurant is gone," Angie objected.

"However, they did leave the kitchen behind, so I could still make us something to eat," Ash explained. "Don't expect any fancy gourmet cooking though, but if you still care to eat a 'burger with me, I'm your man," he added, smiling.

"That's so sweet of you," Angie said, as her face had suddenly all cleared up again, before giving Ash a quick peck on the cheek.

"Now, if you try to get us a nice table with a view, I'll see what I can do in the kitchen," Ash said, with a smile on his face. "Can you come and give me a hand, Pikachu?"

"Pika-pi!" Ash's loyal Pokémon acknowledged, as it followed it's trainer.

And so our friends, after all the trouble they ran into in the first place, could still have their dinner date as they had planned earlier that day...

(To be continued...)

* * *

My 80th fan-fiction chapter. I apologize for any typing errors, or grammatically not 100% correct sentences. Remember, I am not a native English speaker or writer. I tried to make this story as close to the Pokémon series as possible, so that the characters will react roughly the same in this fictional story as they do in the series. Comments are always welcome, you can use the review function on this FanFiction site for that.

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any trademarks of Pokémon. Any similarities to the works of others is purely accidental, and not meant as an infringement on anyone's achievements.


	3. Chapter 3

Episode 34: A Phanptastic Adventure (part 1)

Part 1 of episode 34 in my Fan Fiction series about the Pokémon journey of Ash and Angie. Involves some MorpheusShipping (Ash and Angie liking each other) so if you don't like that idea, perhaps you might want to stop reading here. The rest, I hope you enjoy this fan-fiction.

* * *

After their adventurous dinner date the day before, our friends were once more on their way again to the Indigo Plateau. Ash had slept not too well that night, after eating a little too much even for him, the day before. Angie had also enjoyed last night's dinner so much she had kept eating until she almost fell over, but nonetheless she had been a little more moderate than her friend, so she had been able to rest quite well that night. After walking for some time, Pikachu stopped, and pulled on Ash leg.

"What is it, buddy?" Ash asked.

Pikachu opened it's mouth and pointed at it with it's right paw.

"Okay, you are hungry, right?" Ash guessed.

"Pika!" Pikachu answered, nodding.

"Well, it's not lunch time yet, but a quick snack wouldn't hurt," Ash said, smiling.

"That's a good idea," Angie remarked, "I bet you would like something as well, right Shinx?"

"Shinx-shinx!" the little electric Pokémon cried with enthusiasm.

So our friends stopped for a moment to give both Pokémon some poffins. Suddenly Pikachu's ears started twitching.

"Huh Pikachu, is something wrong?" Ash wondered.

But before Ash could get an answer to his question, a bluish shape jumped from between the trees on each side of the path, and rolled towards our friends, stopping at a few yards distance!

"Hey, a Phanpy!" Ash said.

"Perhaps it wants a poffin as well," Angie suggested, "here, this one's for you," she added, as she slowly reached out her hand towards the Phanpy, with a few poffins in it.

Slowly the Phanpy came closer, a little closer... closer again... and then took a poffin from Angie's hand! It took a few steps back, and then started eating it, apparently enjoying the little treat.

"Ash?" Angie said.

"Yes, what is it?" Ash replied.

"I think this is the same Phanpy that saved us and our Pokémon yesterday," Angie continued.

"Perhaps, although it could just as well be another one," Ash brushed away her suggestion, as he was still a little grumpy from having a bad night.

"Isn't it obvious? Just take a good look at it," Angie tried again.

"Still looks like any other Phanpy to me," Ash said, apparently not convinced by Angie's arguments.

"And I tell you it's the same one we saw yesterday!" Angie suddenly yelled as she turned her head towards Ash, losing her patience now. "Hey, were did it go?" Angie asked, after she had turned her head back again.

"I guess you scared it off with your big mouth," Ash said, with his eyes closed, and his head hanging down a little.

"I don't have a big mouth!" Angie shouted right into Ash's right ear.

Ash immediately opened his eyes again, and for a brief moment just stood there, a little bit dazed by Angie's sudden outburst, and the loud shouting in his ear. He shook his head shortly, as if to shake the loud sounds from his ears.

"I will prove it to you it is the same Phanpy!" Angie bit at him, before walking away in the direction of the bushes where Phanpy had emerged from before it had fled again.

"If that makes you happy..." Ash mumbled.

Shinx immediately followed it's trainer, while Ash sat down on the ground, and pulled his cap over his ears, as if he was going to take a little nap. After a while Ash lifted the cap from his eyes again, and looked around to see if Angie had already returned. But he saw nothing besides Pikachu.

"Girls..." he mumbled, "nothing but trouble with them, right buddy?" Ash said to his electric Pokémon.

"Pika?" Ash's loyal Pokémon answered, apparently not knowing what to say to that remark. "PiPikachu-pikapi. Pipi-pika!" Pikachu then continued, while pointing in the direction Angie had disappeared.

"You think I should go after her, now don't you?" Ash asked.

"Pika-pi!" Pikachu replied.

"I guess you're right," Ash sighed, as he got up.

Meanwhile, a little away from here, Angie was trying to find the Phanpy.

"Now, if you were a Phanpy, were would you hide?" Angie asked while looking at her Shinx.

"Shinx-shinx?" the little electric Pokémon replied, as clueless as it's trainer.

"If only Ash hadn't been so stubborn and believed me right away when I said to him this was the same Phanpy we met yesterday..." Angie complained. "Then again, I did perhaps raise my voice just a little too much when I got so angry about his disbelief..."

"Shinx..." her Pokémon companion said, with an apparent look of understanding.

"I think we better get back then, and apologize," Angie said, looking at Shinx.

So she turned around, and started walking back to their resting place, when suddenly she tripped over something and fell over, into a nearby bush.

"Aauutsh!" Angie yelled, as she felt some branches streak past her arms, leaving some streaks.

"Shinx-shinx!" her little Shinx came running to her aid, seeing if it's trainer didn't get hurt.

"It's alright Shinx," Angie replied, "just a few scratches here and there. It seems like I fell on something, that cushioned the blow. I wonder what it is though..."

"Phanpy!" they suddenly heard, as the ground type Pokémon jumped up, throwing Angie of it's back.

"Oh... I'm sorry Phanpy! I didn't mean to hurt you," Angie apoligized.

Phanpy didn't look too impressed by those words, and for a moment it looked like it was about to charge. Then Shinx jumped in front of Angie, and started talking to Phanpy. It took a little persuasion, but at last Shinx managed to calm down Phanpy.

"I'm so glad I found you again, Phanpy," Angie said, as she petted the Pokémon. "Do you want to come with us and finish the meal we have for you?"

"Phanpy-phan!" was the enthusiastic answer.

"Alright, let's go then!" Angie said, "but wait, where is my right bracelet?" she added, after noticing one of the greenish bracelets she always wore around her wrists had gone missing. "Oh, it probably must have slipped off as I fell in those bushes. Let's see if we can find it again..."

So Angie stepped forward, but suddenly it became all dark around her, and she felt like she was getting picked up by something! She tried to resist, but there was nothing she could do. It felt like she was lifted higher and higher up, unsure who or what was causing this, and where she was going...

(To be continued...)

* * *

My 81st fan-fiction chapter. I apologize for any typing errors, or grammatically not 100% correct sentences. Remember, I am not a native English speaker or writer. I tried to make this story as close to the Pokémon series as possible, so that the characters will react roughly the same in this fictional story as they do in the series. Comments are always welcome, you can use the review function on this FanFiction site for that.

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any trademarks of Pokémon. Any similarities to the works of others is purely accidental, and not meant as an infringement on anyone's achievements.


	4. Chapter 4

Episode 34: A Phanptastic Adventure (part 2)

Part 2 of episode 34 in my Fan Fiction series about the Pokémon journey of Ash and Angie. Involves some MorpheusShipping (Ash and Angie liking each other) so if you don't like that idea, perhaps you might want to stop reading here. The rest, I hope you enjoy this fan-fiction.

* * *

Ash was running through the forest, after he heard some noise. It had sounded like someone was in trouble, so Ash was going as fast as he could, closely followed by Pikachu. They reached the place where Angie had just been a few moments ago, but saw nothing.

"I could have sworn I heard someone screaming and it really looked like it came from here, right buddy?" Ash wondered, as he tried to catch his breath again.

"Pika-pi!" Pikachu answered, also looking around and trying to pick up something.

Then suddenly, the little Pokémon spotted something, and ran off. Ash watched Pikachu disappear into the bushes, that upon better inspection, did look a bit squashed here and there, Ash had to admit. Then Pikachu emerged from the bushes again, and ran towards Ash. Pikachu stopped right in front of it's trainer, and lifted it's tail up high, holding up something and presenting it to Ash!

"What is that you've got, Pikachu?" Ash asked, as he stepped forward to take the greenish thing his Pokémon was carrying off it's tail.

Ash didn't need long to recognize this greenish piece of cloth. He immediately realized it was one of the green bracelets Angie always wore around her wrists!

"That's Angie's!" Ash said out loud, "so she was here!"

Ash and Pikachu carefully examined the spot even further, but it quickly appeared like there were no more traces to be found. Then Ash noticed some black feathers, close to the bushes where Pikachu found the bracelet.

"I wonder if a Pokémon took Angie away..." Ash theorized, while thinking back of the time an Aerodactyl had grabbed her and brought her to it's island, when they had just began their journey together. (*)

Ash shivered as he relived those events in his mind, and how it had been such a close call for both. Pikachu stepped forward to comfort it's trainer, but stopped halfway. The electric mouse Pokémon looked around, and then kept staring in one direction.

"What is it buddy?" Ash whispered.

Pikachu took a few steps forward, then beckoned Ash to follow. They progressed as silently as possible, and then Ash saw what caused the sound. Ash felt anger coming up in his body, and unable to restrain himself, he jumped from the bushes, and onto the back of what he believed to be Angie's kidnapper!

"Hey, what the...!" a purple haired boy yelled as he felt Ash trying to work him down to the ground.

Since his victim was a little stronger than Ash, it didn't take him too much trouble to shake Ash of his back. Ash fell down on the ground, but quickly pulled himself together, and got on his feet again.

"What did you do with Angie, Paul!" Ash shouted, as he looked at his rival with flames almost coming from his eyes.

"Pikaaaa!" Pikachu threatened, as sparks formed around the pouches on it's head.

"Are you nuts!" Paul shouted back in an angry voice, "you give me one good reason why I should be interested in that girlfriend of yours?"

"Then what were you snooping around here for, so close to the spot where she has disappeared!" Ash responded with another question.

"If you must know..." Paul sighed, "I was looking for my Honchcrow."

"Oh, your Pokémon finally got smart and left you? I am not surprised, by the way you always treat them," Ash sneered.

"You mind your own business! I don't tell you how to train your Pokémon, no do I!" Paul shouted back. "Now, if you don't mind, I have some searching to do!"

Paul turned around and started walking away from our friends. But when he was just a few steps away, Ash started to follow him. Paul noticed that and stopped.

"I told you to leave me alone, okay?" Paul said, without turning around to look at Ash.

"Just wondering, why do you actually take all this effort to get Honchcrow back?" Ash asked at a more friendly tone. "I thought you always considered Pokémon as disposable tools, and if one doesn't perform to your liking, you simply catch another? Unless..."

"Unless what!" Paul said, raising his voice, as he was getting impatient.

"Unless you **do** care about your Pokémon, and in this case, Honchcrow," Ash suggested.

"Are you crazy!" Paul shouted, as he turned around, "it's just that I... I don't want to waste all the time I spent training Honchcrow, so that's why I want it back, alright!" he quickly finished his sentence.

For a moment Ash thought he saw a tear in Paul's eye, but it could just have well been a drop of sweat, caused by Paul getting so worked up over Ash's words.

"If you say so..." Ash started, "but, you should know we did find some black feathers on the spot where Angie must have been before she disappeared. Perhaps these feathers are from Honchcrow?"

"Quickly, show me the place you found those!" Paul said, suddenly looking very interested.

Together they ran towards the place Ash had mentioned. Paul picked up the feathers Ash had referred to, and studied them for a moment.

"These are definitely my Honchcrow's," Paul stated, "just look at the deep color, shining strongly in the sunlight," he added, seemingly with a touch of pride in his voice.

"So, who or whatever took Angie, probably also took Honchcrow as well," Ash said.

"I didn't expect I would ever say this, but I think for once you are right about something," Paul replied, with a rather bland voice.

"So how about we go looking for Angie and Honchcrow together?" Ash suggested.

Paul looked down for a moment, while considering Ash's offer. Then he wiped a strand of hair from his face and stepped forward. Ash was holding out his hand, like he was inviting Paul to come along.

"Okay, we'll look together... for now," Paul said, while ignoring Ash's hand.

"Alright!" Ash cheered, "and I think we can use all the help we can get!" he added, while throwing some Poké Balls into the air.

Staravia and Gliscor emerged, but upon seeing Paul they immediately took a defensive stand.

"It's okay, Paul is going to help us find Angie, and we will try help him get his Honchcrow back," Ash tried to soothe the situation.

"Weavile, I need you!" Paul shouted, as he released his dark/ice type Pokémon.

"Alright, we'll look from above, and your Weavile can help us here below," Ash said.

"Whatever..." Paul replied, "can we start now? We've already wasted a lot of time because of your smalltalk."

Ash had to swallow some of his pride in order not to retaliate to this typical "Paul remark" but there was more at stake here. After all, since they didn't know who or what had captured Angie and Honchcrow, any help might come in very handy, so better keep the peace, Ash thought. So together they ventured deeper into the woods, with Paul's Weavile swiftly and nimbly scouting ahead of our friends, while Staravia and Gliscor were circling round up high, looking from above, hoping to find a trace of those who had gone missing...

(To be continued...)

* * *

(*) This refers to episode 4, which is part of "Collection 1: First Steps".

* * *

My 82nd fan-fiction chapter. I apologize for any typing errors, or grammatically not 100% correct sentences. Remember, I am not a native English speaker or writer. I tried to make this story as close to the Pokémon series as possible, so that the characters will react roughly the same in this fictional story as they do in the series. Comments are always welcome, you can use the review function on this FanFiction site for that.

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any trademarks of Pokémon. Any similarities to the works of others is purely accidental, and not meant as an infringement on anyone's achievements.


	5. Chapter 5

Episode 34: A Phanptastic Adventure (part 3)

Part 3 of episode 34 in my Fan Fiction series about the Pokémon journey of Ash and Angie. Involves some MorpheusShipping (Ash and Angie liking each other) so if you don't like that idea, perhaps you might want to stop reading here. The rest, I hope you enjoy this fan-fiction.

* * *

While Ash and his unlikely ally, Paul, were trying to find any clues about the whereabouts of Angie and Paul's Honchcrow, a well known trio was gloating over their catch.

"You let me go, you villains!" Angie shouted, "Whatever your plan is this time, it won't work!"

"Naaa, pipe it down, missy!" Jessie countered Angie's words, "you are going nowhere."

"And how can you tell if our plan won't work if you don't even know it yet?" James asked.

"Meowth, will you do the honors?" Jessie asked, "at least it will keep that brat quiet for a moment."

"Well," Meowth spoke, after clearing his throat, "you see, we've noticed that Phanpy, that recently trashed our wonderful robot, is very strong for it's kind."

Upon hearing the word "Phanpy" Jessie's features hardened.

"So, we thought we should catch it, and send it to the boss," Meowth added.

"What would the boss need a Phanpy for by the way?" James inquired.

"Well, let's say the boss goes shopping, but can't find a place to park him sports car," Meowth suggested, "he keeps on driving in circles and gets very irritated. Then suddenly he remembers he has Phanpy. He releases it, and orders it to smash some cars out of the way, to create a nice parking space for him. And then he will say: "Thanks to this useful Phanpy Meowth and his friends sent me, I can go shopping without worries about where to park my car. The deserve a nice reward for this!" And then we'll become commanders of the Team Rocket Sinnoh League Branch." Meowth concluded his explanation.

"Hahahaha!" Jessie laughed, "and on top of that it would mean a nice way to get our revenge for what that Phanpy did to us!" Jessie shouted.

"Yep, that plan is never gonna work, told you. And it serves you right!" Angie commented, "if you hadn't been trying to catch our Pokémon in the first place, you would never have been humiliated by that Phanpy."

"I hate it when they start using that logic talk against us," James sighed.

"Besides, that Phanpy is way too smart to want to have anything to do with you," Angie said with a smirk on her face.

"Oh, we know..." James replied, "we were following it, but then lost track of it. Then we saw something moving in the bushes and caught it, but then it turned out to be you and that strange bird Pokémon of that disturbed trainer, what's his name again...?"

"Paul," Jessie filled in, "so you see, we needed a different strategy, and that is where you come in..."

"Huh?" Angie wondered.

"We noticed that Phanpy seems to take an interest in you," Meowth explained, "so we thought it would be a good idea to use you as bait."

"Whaaat!" Angie yelled, "you leave that out off your heads, you hear me!"

"Please, do keep on shouting," Jessie said, with a smile on her face, "we **do** want that Phanpy to hear you, so be my guest, make as much noise as you want..."

Angie immediately stopped saying what she felt of Team Rocket's little scheme. The three villains looked a little surprised at this sudden silence, then Jessie got an angry look on her face.

"Now you hear us, missy, you'd better start shouting again soon, or else..." Jessie threatened, "or else... I'll leave you to Meowth's mercy!"

"Uh... why me?" Meowth asked, a little surprised.

"Because it was your plan!" Jessie and James said together.

"Alright..." the feline Pokémon sighed, "it's always good ol' Meowth that has to save the day... take her outside."

Jessie and James both took a side of the chair, Angie was strapped down to, and carried her outside the cabin. There was a big open spot in front of the little house, and they put Angie down in the middle of it.

"Now, I order you to scream again!" Meowth said.

Angie didn't say anything back, but just shook her head, indicating she was not inclined to follow Meowth's commands.

"Awww, and I was hoping to pull this off without flexing some muscle..." Meowth sighed, "well, here comes a Fury Swipes if you don't start screaming right now!"

Meowth extended his sharp claws, and they started glowing. He swept his right paw back, and looked ready to charge. _This is gonna hurt_ Angie thought, as she closed her eyes, _but I won't help these villains, no matter what!_

Meowth ran forward... but just when he was about to hit the defenseless girl, a bluish shadow bounced him away, like he was a pin in a bowling range. Meowth landed flat on his belly at the feet of a very surprised Jessie and James.

"What happened...?" the catlike Pokémon moaned, "did someone get the license plate of that road hog...?"

"I am not completely sure what it was..." Jessie commented, "...but I know a way to find out. James, call out Carnivine and make it fire Bullet Seed in the path of that blue thing!"

"But I just had my hair done..." James objected.

"Just do it, okay!" Jessie said, glaring at her partner in crime.

"Alright..." James sighed, "Carnivine, come out."

The grass type Pokémon immediately greeted it's trainer with a friendly "chew on James' head embrace" as usual.

"Yeah, I've missed you too," James moaned with a muffled voice, his head still stuck in Carnivine's mouth, "now aim your Bullet Seed right at that blue moving thing."

"Carrr-nivine!" James' Pokémon acknowledged, as it performed the requested attack.

A stream of small explosive seeds hit the ground just in front of the rolling blue thing. It immediately stopped moving forward, and all could see it was the Phanpy everyone was looking for!

"I knew it!" Jessie gloated.

"Phanpy! Get out off here!" Angie shouted, "they want to catch you! Go! I'll be fine!"

"Now, surely you wouldn't want your friend to get hurt?" Jessie said, looking at Phanpy.

"Yes, come save her now, this is your chance," James added.

"My head still hurts..." Meowth moaned, as he slowly got up.

The Phanpy hesitated for a moment. Although it mistrusted the inviting words Jessie and James uttered, it also really wanted to help Angie. Then it appeared to take Angie's advice to heart, and turned around!

"Hey, that's not supposed to happen..." James said.

"You're a good guy, you're supposed to save the damsel in distress, remember?" Jessie added, as she stomped with her feet on the ground.

"Hey, look out for me!" Meowth yelled, as he barely managed to dodge Jessie trampling feet.

"Good!" Angie yelled, "go, and get help! Find Ash!" she added.

Phanpy had started moving away faster, and suddenly turned into a ball again, doing a Rollout attack. It had almost reached the edge of the trees around the cabin that served as Team Rocket's headquarters, when... it made a quick turn and came back, heading straight for the three villains that had captured Angie!

"Phanpy! No!" Angie screamed.

"Just a little closer... just a little..." Meowth whispered, looking fully recovered now.

Then, the ground under Phanpy gave way, and with a loud bang, it fell down!

"Yes!" James cheered.

"It was some hard work to dig that hole, but it's nice to see it pays off now," Jessie commented.

"Hard work? Me and James did all the digging while you were catching some tan!" Meowth objected.

"Well, I can't help it that I have to look good for the contests," Jessie countered that remark. "Don't you know it really takes much effort to keep looking good."

"If it actually had some results..." Meowth whispered.

"What did you say!" Jessie yelled, glaring at the feline Pokémon.

"Eh, well... what I meant was I actually like the results," Meowth nervously tried to save his hide.

"Why, thank you," Jessie replied, as she took on a pose, trying to look elegant.

"Phanpy, are you okay?" Angie asked, totally ignoring her kidnappers.

They could all hear some growling from the hole, like Phanpy was about to emerge from it any moment now, but still nothing seemed to happen.

"What did you do to it!" Angie shouted.

"Perhaps it has some trouble scaling the walls of the hole after falling in the water we poured in first?" Jessie laughed.

"Just like looking at a skidding tyre," Meowth laughed.

"I am sure I heard some sounds coming from here!" another voice, coming from somewhere between the trees at the edge of the open space suddenly said.

"Oh no, it's the other twerp!" James said, with a touch of fear in his eyes.

"Well, we've got what we came for, so let's move!" Jessie shouted.

"Alrighty!" Meowth acknowledged.

Just as Ash, for James had heard it right, emerged from the trees at the edge, the cabin flipped open, and the familiar Meowth shaped balloon emerged from it. Quickly the trio got inside, carrying a big bag with something that was wildly moving trapped in it. From the balloon they dropped a big metal cage in the hole Phanpy had fallen in. When they lifted it out off the hole, Phanpy was trapped inside the cage. Then a rope with a grappling hook descended from the bottom of the basket, hooking onto Angie's chair, lifting her up in the air with chair and all!

"Hey, are you guys nuts!" Angie shouted, "you can't leave me hanging here!"

"Sorry, but there was no place inside the balloon for you. So just enjoy the view!" Jessie smirked.

"And don't worry about the knots coming loose," James added, "I've learned those during my scouting days."

"But you have never been to scouting in your entire life," Meowth remarked.

"So that is why I had so much trouble remembering how to make those knots..." James pondered.

"Look! Up there! That's Angie!" Ash shouted, with fear in his voice, as he looked up and noticed the precarious situation she was in.

"Hey! If you clowns took my Honchcrow, you'll be very sorry," Paul threatened at the Rockets, ignoring Ash's remark about his girlfriend.

"What Honchcrow? Oh, you mean this one?" Jessie said teasingly, as she opened the bag just far enough for Honchcrow to pop out it's head.

Paul gritted his teeth, and his face looked even more grim than usual. Without saying a word he took a Poké Ball from his belt, ready to take care of the situation. Then, one of the ropes holding Angie to her chair, started to slip. Despite all the effort James had put into the knots, one was coming loose!

_This is not good!_ It flashed through Angie's mind.

Snap! Another knot started to come loose, this time the one holding her right arm!

"Hey, guys!" Angie yelled to the persons above her head, "those so called perfect knots are coming loose!"

"Okay, but we'll charge you extra for the flight then," James commented.

"Just get me up!" Angie shouted back impatiently.

"Meowth, will you take care of it?" Jessie asked.

"Alright, but she is not taking my place in the basket!" Meowth sulked. "Now, I'll just have to pull this little lever and... hey! It's stuck!"

"What are you doing up there!" Angie yelled, as she felt another rope getting looser and looser.

"Just a little technical problem!" Meowth shouted back, "just hang in there!"

"That's what I'm trying to!" Angie, "just make it quick, okay!"

While Meowth was trying to fix the jammed winch, time was running out for Angie! She had felt it right, another rope was getting loose, and she also thought the rope that held her chest tied to the chair was not as tight as before. She tried to keep as still as possible, but couldn't prevent the chair from swinging a little in the breeze at the altitude she was now at. Then, without warning, the main rope swiftly unraveled, and nothing was holding Angie to the chair anymore! She tried to grab hold of the chair, as her arms were now free, but her fingers slipped, and she started falling!

"Angie!" Ash yelled, as he saw his girlfriend plummet to the ground...

(To be continued...)

* * *

My 86th fan-fiction chapter. I apologize for any typing errors, or grammatically not 100% correct sentences. Remember, I am not a native English speaker or writer. I tried to make this story as close to the Pokémon series as possible, so that the characters will react roughly the same in this fictional story as they do in the series. Comments are always welcome, you can use the review function on this FanFiction site for that.

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any trademarks of Pokémon. Any similarities to the works of others is purely accidental, and not meant as an infringement on anyone's achievements.


	6. Chapter 6

Episode 34: A Phanptastic Adventure (part 4)

The final part of episode 34 in my Fan Fiction series about the Pokémon journey of Ash and Angie. Involves some MorpheusShipping (Ash and Angie liking each other) so if you don't like that idea, perhaps you might want to stop reading here. The rest, I hope you enjoy this fan-fiction.

* * *

_Short recap of the previous chapters. Team Rocket captured a wild Phanpy, Paul's Honchcrow, and Angie. While they try to make their escape, Angie falls down. Will Ash be able to save her this time and free the captured Pokémon?_

_

* * *

_

"Ash!" Angie screamed, as she was falling down.

"Angie, I'll save you!" Ash yelled back, while thinking frantically about how to do this.

"I you keep hesitating like that, you can soon pick up the pieces of your girlfriend by the time you start doing something," Paul remarked.

"You're right! Gliscor, Staravia! Catch Angie!" Ash yelled.

"Jessie, James, do something!" Meowth shouted, "or we'll be blasting off again very soon!"

"Right! Yanmega! Do Sonic Boom!" Jessie ordered, calling out her bug type Pokémon.

"Yanm-yanm!" Jessie's Pokémon yelled, while sending a couple of powerful soundwaves in the direction of Ash's Pokémon.

Staravia and Gliscor pushed forward, as they were unable to dodge this attack, but despite their efforts, both took a direct hit and were stunned by Yanmega's Sonic Boom.

"Grrrr," Ash grumbled. But he didn't have time to be angry for very long, since Angie was still plummeting to the ground! "Grotle, I need your help!" Ash yelled, as he released this big Pokémon. "Do Rock Climb and get to Angie!"

_Please let Grotle get there in time..._ Ash pondered, as he saw how Grotle quickly braced to pick up speed. Then, with acceleration you wouldn't expect from such a big Pokémon, Grotle moved forward with big jumps, getting faster and faster. But it still seemed like it wouldn't get there fast enough! _This is going wrong!_, Ash thought, while he started to blame himself for not looking better after Angie, and letting her get into this situation. He was about to close his eyes, as Grotle took a large jump, soaring through the sky, straight towards Angie! Still it looked like it was going to miss the magic window of opportunity to catch Angie...

"Ash!" Angie cried out, as she thought she was going to come down hard any moment now.

But as Grotle flew by the falling girl, in a desperate attempt, Angie reached out her hand... Grotle moved the foliage on it's back a little, and... she managed to grab hold of the bushes that grow on Grotle's back!

"Way to go, Grotle!" Ash cheered, as he swung one arm high with clenched fist, as a sort of victory move.

"Nah, more luck than skill..." Paul commented, as he closed his eyes momentarily.

"Fine, I'll go see if Angie is okay then," Ash remarked.

While Ash ran towards Angie and Grotle, Paul looked up at Team Rocket's balloon.

"Can I see Honchcrow one more time?" Paul asked, with a smirk forming on the corner of his mouth on one side.

"Sure, it will be the last time anyway..." Jessie laughed, as she untied the rope around the bag in which they held Honchrow.

"Thanks... fools!" Paul shouted, "Honchcrow, do Shadow Ball!"

"Uh oh!" the three villains in the balloon panicked.

The next seconds there was an explosion, hiding the balloon from sight, and a few moments later Paul's Honchcrow came flying from the cloud of smoke covering the balloon!

Team Rocket's balloon crashed down on the ground, a stone's throw distance away from our friends. Ash had now reached Angie and Grotle. Angie had her eyes closed, still a little shaky after all the perils she had been through. Ash put his hand on her back, and she slowly opened her eyes again. Ash stepped back, and stretched out his arm, so he could help Angie down from Grotle's back.

"Ash... I was so scared..." Angie cried, as she fell into Ash's arms. "I felt so bad after walking away from you..."

"Shhhh, calm now, you're safe," Ash comforted his girlfriend, as he held her tight.

Angie calmed down slowly, and still with a few tears on her cheeks, she turned around to thank Grotle for saving her.

"Now, while you two are busy standing there, I'll handle those clowns!" Paul said, with a determined look on his face.

"Fine with me, just make sure you don't hurt that Phanpy," Ash replied.

"I don't know why you care about it so much, I've scanned it and it's stats are nothing special, but alright," Paul agreed. Ursaring, this seems like a nice training for you," the purple haired trainer added, as he casually threw a Poké Ball up in the air.

Ursaring appeared, and immediately stepped forward with mighty steps, a vicious growl on it's face. The three Team Rocket members just came crawling from the wreckage of their balloon, and looked straight into the angry face of Paul's Pokémon. Jessie and James held on to each other in fear, trembling. Strangely enough, Meowth seemed to stay a little more calm.

"Hey, big boy! Look what I've got for you!" Meowth said.

"Sssht, don't make it even more angry!" Jessie hissed at her feline companion.

"I've got some honey here, and I've never seen an Ursaring that could withstand this tasty treat," Meowth replied, filled with confidence.

Ursaring stepped forward a little more, but indeed seemed to spare Jessie, James and Meowth. It walked past them, and picked up the cage in which Phanpy was trapped, bringing it back to Paul.

"You see, we've befriended that big bully already," Meowth said.

"Ursaring, now! Do Hammer Arm!" Paul commanded.

"Oh no!" the three Team Rocket members shouted in fear.

Ursaring came running towards them, swung it's strong paws backwards, and then hit the wreckage of the balloon with a fierce blow, sending the Rockets blasting off sky high!

"So much for that 'befriending that silent brat's Pokémon' tactic..." Jessie sighed.

"How was I to know it didn't like that brand of honey?" Meowth tried to defend himself.

"Perhaps this Pokémon likes the more bitter tasting variety," James wondered, "very likely judging by how sour his trainer always looks."

"Well, anyway..." Jessie started.

"We're blasting off again!" all three yelled, as they disappeared in the distance.

"Wooobuuuuffeeet!" Jessie's Pokémon screamed as it popped from it's Poké Ball for it's famous last words.

"Well done, Paul, and Ursaring," Ash complimented both.

"That? That was nothing!" Paul snapped back, "I honestly can't understand why you sometimes seem to even have trouble defeating these guys."

"Why y..." Ash was about to get right back at Paul, but then he realized how he had been helping him to find and rescue Angie, so he decided to let it drop this time.

Suddenly Ash and Angie realized Phanpy was still trapped in the cage Team Rocket had put it into. They ran towards Paul, where Ursaring had dropped the cage. With a strong Iron Tail, Pikachu managed to crack open the cage, and Phanpy was free again! Immediately Phanpy and Pikachu began having an animated conversation.

"Do you know what they are saying?" Angie wondered.

"Pika-pi, pi-pikaa. Pi-pikachu, chu-pi-pikapi! Pikaaa!" Pikachu replied to it's trainer.

"I think Pikachu is trying to tell us Phanpy wants to come along with you," Ash translated Pikachu's 'words'.

"Wow, do you really want that?" Angie asked, her eyes twinkling.

"Phanpy-phan!" was the apparently affirmative answer.

Angie took an empty Poké Ball from her belt, and threw it towards Phanpy. It hit Phanpy on it's sturdy head, popped open, and drew the Pokémon inside. After wiggling a few times, the light became solid, indicating a completed capture. Angie ran forward, picked up the Poké Ball, and danced around with it, holding it up high.

"I've got a Phanpy!" she cheered, while Ash watched her dancing around with a smile on his face.

"Ursaring, Honchcrow, come back!" Paul suddenly interrupted the cheerful moment. Before putting Honchcrow's Poké Ball away, he spoke to it, "We still have some talking to do. It was pathetic that you let those clowns catch you!"

"Hey, go a little easy on Honchcrow!" Ash intervened.

"Look, I won't tell you how to train your Pokémon," Paul replied, "so don't tell me how to train mine, okay!" he added as he walked away from our friends.

"Sheesh, for a moment I thought he had changed a little, when he agreed to team up to find you, Phanpy and Honchcrow," Ash said to Angie, "but I guess I was wrong..."

"Well, let's see the positive side of it," Angie started, "at least Paul came back to get his Pokémon, and that is more than I would have expected from him."

"You're right..." Ash said, "perhaps Paul has changed a little..."

And so, even though this adventure started of with some bad moments, the outcome had been that a new friend had joined Ash and Angie. And they learned that even people that are usually your adversary, like Paul, can be an ally in the right situation...

(To be continued...)

* * *

My 89th fan-fiction chapter. I apologize for any typing errors, or grammatically not 100% correct sentences. Remember, I am not a native English speaker or writer. I tried to make this story as close to the Pokémon series as possible, so that the characters will react roughly the same in this fictional story as they do in the series. Comments are always welcome, you can use the review function on this FanFiction site for that.

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any trademarks of Pokémon. Any similarities to the works of others is purely accidental, and not meant as an infringement on anyone's achievements.


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